Exclusive: Ferrari 458 Speciale Spider pricing revealed

Ferrari is preparing to launch the open-top version of the 458 Speciale and we know this because the vehicle was already spotted outside the Maranello factory after a private unveiling which took place earlier this month at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Today we found out even more from our Maranello-based source, the same trusted source who talked about the 458 Speciale Spider back in June. As you may know already, the spider version of the 458 Speciale will not be called 458 Speciale Spider but until we have an official name we will continue to use this.

Anyway, we said that we have some news regarding the new car. According to our source, the 458 Speciale Spider will be priced at 216,000 euros excluding taxes, which makes the vehicle 11,000 euros more expensive than the 458 Speciale Coupe.

We don’t really know how many 458 Speciale Coupe units were built by Ferrari, but we do know that the spider version will be more exclusive as the vehicle will see a limited production of just 458 units. However, the price of the 458 Speciale Spider is expected to be higher than the starting price because Ferrari will sell the vehicle to its most important customers and all of them will want a custom vehicle with plenty of options.

And speaking of optional features, the 458 Speciale Spider will be available with a new stripe design, two new wheel designs created exclusively for this model, redesigned seats and carbon fiber floor mats.

In addition, the vehicle arrives with two special plaques for the interior, in order to remind you that you are driving a limited edition Ferrari. Just like the 458 Spider, the new Speciale version features an aluminum hard-top that can be deployed in just 14 seconds, as well as new technical solutions for the chassis in order to deliver identical levels of structural rigidity with the roof up or down.

The bad news is that the new vehicle will ditch the see-through engine bonnet what was featured on the coupe version due to the new retractable hard top.

Under the new bonnet, we expect to find the same 4.5-liter V8 engine that is capable to generate 605 hp at 9,000 rpm and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque at 6,000 rpm. Just like the coupe, the 458 Speciale Spider version is expected to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.0 seconds, 200 km/h (124 mph) in 9.1 seconds and a top speed in excess of 200 mph or 320 km/h.

The Ferrari 458 Speciale Spider will be a successor for the Scuderia Spider 16M and it will be Ferrari’s fastest open-top sports car, at least until the LaFerrari Spider arrives.

Taking in consideration that the first vehicles were spotted outside the Maranello factory, the Ferrari 458 Speciale Spider is expected to make its world debut in October, at the 2014 Paris Motor Show!